Stand by Me
by Kat Kingsman
Summary: “It’s an interesting feeling not caring whether you live or die.” Sequel to Through the Years and Watching Over You.Moonlight. MickBeth
1. Slippery Slope

Title: Stand by Me

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG-13 (for now)

Pairing: Mick/Beth

Spoilers: through 1x08, 12:04 AM

Summery: "_It's an interesting feeling; not caring whether you live or die." _ Sequel to Through the Years and Watching Over You.

Ch.1 Slippery Slope (1/5)

"_Admitting you're in love with someone is a slippery slope. Once you say it, even just to yourself, everything begins snowballing and all you can do is hang on and hope you don't end up with a broken neck (heart) at the bottom."_

Beth dug through her closet with a single minded ferocity that startled even herself. Her closet had always been a black hole for things, stuff just seemed to gravitate there and pile up out of sight where they would be forgotten and not dealt with. She paid little to no attention to the mess she was making of her bedroom as high heels and assorted trinkets were tossed carelessly aside in her search for a shoebox she hadn't seen in five years. It took another six minutes before she finally found it tucked away in the back corner behind a dusty stack of National Geographic magazines. She pulled the box onto her lap, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the mess that had once been the contents of her closet. She held the box carefully as if it were made of glass or precious crystal and not torn cardboard. She wasn't sure if she wanted to open it but she had to know. Carefully, with all the caution one would use if opening Pandora's box, she lifted the lid and gently took out the first card. The colors had faded in the years since she had first received it, but the writing remained clear. She traced the letter M that stood in place of a signature. M. Mick. Why hadn't she made the connection before? Two and two had been equaling four for a while now but she had stubbornly refused to do the math. Denial was a necessary defense mechanism when the was something you weren't ready to admit.

After the events of the past few days however, Beth could no longer hide from the truth. Finding her file in Mick's office had forced her to confront what she's been running from. Mick St. John. Over and over she had repeated they were just friends, to her boss, to Morgan, to Josh, to herself. Even after her impulsive kiss in the parking lot, her abortive seduction while high on vampire blood, and every time she fought back a shudder of revulsion when Josh caressed the scar Mick's fangs had left on her arm, she stubbornly refused to admit to more than that. Just friends gave them both an out, an excuse to continue on in this state of purgatory. They could stay in comfortable stagnation, ignoring the issue to their hearts' content as long as they remained "just friends." Saying more then that would force them to make a choice, one Beth hadn't been ready to make.

She looked down at the shoebox of cards in her lap; her very first mystery, finally solved. She picked up the one he'd sent on Valentine's Day when she was thirteen. Her very first crush had been on someone she had never seen and she's always thought that the reality would fall far short of her fantasy. She's be wrong. It was true that he was nothing like the picture she had held as a child but Mick could never fall short of anything.

It was time to face the music. She was no longer thirteen but she was definitely in love. She sighed, she knew that one simple admission was going to complicate her life far more then she could guess. It would be difficult enough if Mick was a normal guy. She was dating Josh and whatever feelings she held for Mick did not erase the fact that she cared about him. Beth couldn't just stomp all over his heart and move on, it didn't work that way. Still dealing with Josh was not even the biggest complication admitting her feelings for Mick would bring up. The fact remained that Mick was a vampire and that brought with it a whole set of complications that she didn't even _know_ about. Granted that was because he wouldn't say anything beyond "it wouldn't work" but it still left her with a feeling of being in the dark. Being out of the know was not a feeling she particularly enjoyed either and Beth felt the urge to go pry some answers out of Mick. How could he expect her to understand anything, let alone deal with it, if he refused to tell her things? But trying to pry answers out of him would be a futile quest she knew. Mick had the ability to be more evasive then even her reporter honed doggedness could get around. So unless she could come up with some way to tie him down where he couldn't do his little "poof" vampire bit she had little to no chance of getting any answers out of him.

The fact that he owed her the truth, or at least a more satisfying explanation, was obviously a moot point. She'd push and he'd evade and frankly Beth was tired of that dance by now. The time was coming where she'd have to make a decision and going in half blind and ready for a fight would do her no good.

Beth closed her eyes and held the box of cards a little closer. She remembered the way he'd looked that morning, hand held up to shield himself from the harsh glare of sunlight and the truths she's thrown at him moments before. He'd looked so broken, so scared, when he told her once again it could never work. Never was just a word, it only held meaning if you let it. They both knew it, but she had said it and he had disappeared. She couldn't understand why he was the one hiding. She was the one with everything to lose: Josh, her heart, maybe her life, yet he was the one that refused to risk it. Perhaps it was out of some misguided sense of protectiveness for her, or maybe it was himself he was protecting. She didn't know but it was as infuriating as it was endearing.

"Beth? What are you doing?" The sound of Josh's voice dragged her out of her memories.

"What?" she asked, turning to face her boyfriend without leaving her place on the floor.

"Why did you decide to empty out your closet?" he asked. "It's a little early for spring cleaning."

She could hear the confusion behind his attempt at humor.

"Oh, I was looking for something," she said, clutching the shoebox tighter as if he was going to try and take it from her.

He gave her a bemused smile, "did you find it?"

She nodded, quickly placing the lid back on the box. Josh couldn't see what was in there, it would lead to questions she wasn't ready to answer yet. She stood up and tucked the box under her arm. She maneuvered through the items strew across her floor to Josh. Standing on tip toe she leaned up to kiss his cheek ignoring the feeling of wrongness that settled in her stomach with the action.

"I have to go to work," she said before he could ask anything else. "I'll see you later."

_Mick wasn't the only one good at running, _she thought as she left her flummoxed boyfriend standing in the middle of her messed up bedroom.

* * *

Work was a welcome relief. She typed up her follow up to the Donavan Sheppard story with more enthusiasm then was strictly necessary. Beth was just glad to have a distraction from facing the consequences of her decision for a few more hours. Unfortunately for her, her enthusiasm meant she finished her report faster than normal. Relief is such a short lived pleasure. 

"Alright, spill," it was Marissa. She'd been watching Beth frown at her computer screen for the past half-hour and it was time to figure out what was up.

"Spill what?" Beth asked, feigning ignorance.

"Don't give me that," Marissa was not fooled. "You've been sitting there with that 'contemplating life or death matters' look and I'm dying to know why."

Beth sighed, the best friend radar for emotional turmoil was definitely a curse.

"It's nothing," she said. "I just learned something is all and I'm trying to process it."

"Learned something, huh?" Marissa sat down, intrigued. "Care to share?"

"Not until I've figured it out for myself," she said apologetically.

Really, Beth would love to share, having someone else's opinion on her situation would be more than helpful but that wasn't an option. How does one explain that they're in love with a vampire?

"Does it have to do with Josh?" Marissa asked, undeterred.

Beth sighed. "Sort of, but he's not really the problem."

"There's someone else," Marissa guessed confidently.

Beth winced, wishing her friend didn't know her so well.

"Like I said, I'm still trying to figure it out myself," Beth replied pointedly.

Marissa grinned, not bothered at all by Beth's tone. "Alright, but you have to make a decision one way or another soon."

She knew that, and that was the whole problem. She nodded slowly. "I know," Beth said. "I'm going to head out."

"Good luck, girl," Marissa replied, giving her friend a hug.

Beth responded with a pained smile. "Thanks."

Luck, she was going to need it. If ignorance was bliss than denial was the greatest feel-good drug ever invented. Unfortunately, cold turkey was the only way to quit and it wasn't an easy way to go. Once the pill is yanked all you can do is prepare yourself for whatever happens.

Beth raised her hand to knock on the door. _Cold turkey, here I come,_ she thought as her knuckles made contact.

AN: here's part one of my story. Feedback is love.

_[wants to feel loved_


	2. Truth

Title: Stand by Me

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG-13 (for now)

Pairing: Mick/Beth

Spoilers: through 1x08, 12:04 AM

Summery: "_It's an interesting feeling; not caring whether you live or die." _ Sequel to Through the Years and Watching Over You.

* * *

Chapter Title: Truth 

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Mick/Beth

"_They say the truth will set you free. They're wrong. The truth binds us in more ways imaginable. With a lie you can go a million different directions; the truth leaves but one course open to you."_

Mick knew she was there even before the first knock echoed through the apartment. He'd been expecting her, knowing that she was unsatisfied with this morning's conversation and that she'd be back once she'd come up with her plan of attack. She was getting better and better at maneuvering around his evasions and he was getting worse and worse denying her. It was becoming dangerous. He contemplated ignoring her for only the briefest of seconds. He'd tried avoiding her before and he had wound up being kissed in the parking lot of BuzzWire. That "accident" that kept happening, kept haunting him. He pulled open the door with a resigned smile of welcome.

"Okay so I remembered something today and I wanted to ask you about it," she said walking in without hesitation, her face determined.

"Beth," Mick greeted her. The implied sarcasm of the unspoken "please, come in" not lost on either of them. She ignored it.

"Did you give me these?" she asked, waving around the item she had brought with her.

"A shoebox?" Mick asked, hoping that was what she was talking about.

"No, these cards," she opened the box and held one out to illustrate her point.

Mick reached for it, stunned. She had kept them? "You still have them?" he asked, looking over the faded card in wonder.

"Every one," she confirmed quietly.

"Just completes the stalker image doesn't it?" Mick asked humorlessly.

She shook her head firmly. "I just want to know why?" she asked, looking up at him. There was no trace of disgust or fear, only curiosity and something else he was afraid to examine closely.

Why? It was her nature to be always looking for why. His mind drifted back to that construction paper card she'd given him over twenty years ago. _Love Beth_ she had signed it, that's why, but he wasn't about to go down that road. He shrugged and moved away from her as if a few feet of distance would stop the pull of her eyes on him.

"Damnit, Mick! I deserve some answers," she said, once again closing the distance between them.

He was forced to look at her again. "You deserve a lot of things I can't give you," he said pointedly, pleading with her to just let it go.

She didn't of course, but he expected that. She just reached up to touch his face. He leaned into the touch, he couldn't help it, pressing his cheek into her palm.

"Please," she whispered, "running isn't doing either of us any good."

_No, but it was better than the alternative._ He pulled away again, turning his back on her and staring out the window as if the Los Angeles skyline held some answer for him.

"You can't just tell me 'no' with no explanation as to why." She was frustrated now, he could hear it in her voice and in the way her pulse quickened.

He gave a short laugh. "I thought that would be obvious," he replied.

She moved to stand beside him, but her eyes looked to him and not the view for answers. "Not to me," she said softly.

"I'm a vampire, Beth!" It was his turn to be frustrated.

"I'm aware of that," she stated blandly.

He shook his head. Didn't she get it? Didn't she see how this could only end in pain?

"Beth you're human. You have a good life, a nice human boyfriend to go home too," he deliberately threw Josh in her face. It was an underhanded blow but maybe it would make her see reason.

She didn't blink. "Just because I have it doesn't mean it's what I want." she said. "It's ridiculous to give up something you want just because it could end badly. _Anything_ can end badly. If people lived like that they'd never leave the house."

"The grass isn't greener on the other side, Beth, trust me," he said harshly, turning to face her.

Big mistake. Her eyes caught and held his, paralyzing him more effectively than any stake.

"I'm tired of dancing around this, Mick," she said firmly. "We always talk in riddles and never just say what we mean to." She looked him squarely in the eyes as she leaned up and placed a soft kiss against his lips.

"It's not an accident and I'm done running," she said softly. "I love you, the rest is your decision."

She turned and headed for the door, picking up her shoebox on the way. She was almost to the door when Mick found his voice again.

"Josh?" he asked, uncertain of exactly what about him he was asking.

She stopped but did not turn around. "Whatever happens between us now, Mick, Josh and I are over. I'm not in love with him anymore and it wouldn't be fair to him to keep up the pretense," and with that she was gone.

Mick continued to stare after her long after the sound of her pounding heart had faded from his awareness. There we so many reasons why it wouldn't work, why he shouldn't even _consider_ it but, as Beth had pointed out there were just as many reasons why it could. She was right, making a choice was inevitable, and it was obvious that he couldn't make her decision for her, as much as he wished he could. He had to make his own choice now. He walked into his office and sat down at his desk. He unlocked the bottom drawer and pulled out the gaudy, construction paper card that had turned his world upside down.

_-Love Beth_

"_I love you"_

He'd once wanted nothing more than to say that back to her and now she had given him the chance. He was tired of denying himself and he couldn't bare to deny her too. It was going to change everything and quite possibly end up destroying them both, but he loved her. It was the simple truth and there was only one choice left. He smiled at the sheer insanity of it all as he grabbed his coat and headed out after her.

Mick was surprised to see her leaning against his car, but it was not completely unexpected. He quirked an eyebrow at her as he approached but his expression was ruined by the smile that refused to go away.

"Just because I said was it was your decision doesn't mean I'm above influencing you," she informed him when he reached her.

Mick just shook his head and pulled her into his arms. "This is beyond stupid, and I shouldn't, but I want it," he said. "I love you." The words slipped from his lips effortlessly as if he'd said them to her a thousand times before. Maybe he had, it didn't matter now.

Her sharp intake of breath at the words was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard and when she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly he didn't hesitate to kiss her back.

The few kisses they had shared before had been brief; a soft press of lips in a moment of unwariness, so Beth wasn't entirely prepared for what it felt like to really kiss him. Mick had surrendered everything and she could feel him pour every dizzying emotion into the kiss. It wasn't sweet and romantic, it was passionate and consuming. He wasn't going to hold back and all Beth could do was not hold back in return. She felt his tongue tracing her lips and she opened for him. The faint taste of copper startled her slightly but it wasn't unpleasant. Her tongue gently slid over his fangs and he pulled back chuckling.

"Careful there," he cautioned, placing a kiss at the corner of her mouth.

"I'll be fine, stop babying me," she complained, pulling him back so she could continue the exploration of his mouth. She once again traced his fangs with her tongue and smiled in satisfaction at his groan.

"Beth," he said firmly, taking her face in his hands.

She grinned up at him smugly, pleased with herself.

"Let's take this one step at a time," he said, brushing his thumbs across her cheekbones. "There is a lot of opportunity for things to go wrong here so let's take as many precautions as we can."

Beth pouted. She saw the wisdom in it but her libido was definitely not in favor. "Why do you have to be the voice of reason?" She complained half-heartedly.

Mick bent down for another soft kiss. "Because one of us has to be and you decided to be the voice of insanity," he replied with resigned amusement.

"Oh, OK," she leaned up for another kiss.

"Beth," he said warningly.

"Oh, fine," she was really pouting now.

"First things first. You have to talk to Josh," he was adamant about that.

Beth nodded, sobering slightly at the thought. "Right, Josh first."

She had almost forgotten that is wasn't going to be as easy as all that. She buried her face in Mick's chest, soaking in his nearness. Things were going to be rough for a while, she knew from experience, but Beth was content with the knowledge that he was worth it, even if he didn't see it himself.

* * *

AN: okely dokely here's part two! 


	3. Out of Standstill

Title: Stand by Me

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG-13 (for now)

Pairing: Mick/Beth

Spoilers: through 1x08, 12:04 AM

Summery: "_It's an interesting feeling; not caring whether you live or die." _ Sequel to Through the Years and Watching Over You.

* * *

Chapter Title: Out of Standstill 

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Mick/Beth

"_There comes a moment in everyone's life when all the confusion just falls away, the facts standing out in perfect clarity and you know instantly what you need to do. Some call it an epiphany, a revelation, whatever the name it's a dangerous thing. When the universe comes to a standstill it's hard to remember that it will start up again and the actions one takes will still have consequences that must be dealt with when time returns."_

Beth hesitated in the hallway outside her apartment. Josh's car had been in the car park so she knew he was waiting for her inside. She would have preferred to do this in a public place, not because she was worried about what Josh might do, but because it would be neutral territory for them both and it might make it easier. That, and she had hoped to have the night to think over what she was going to say. She briefly considered turning around and going to stay with Marissa for the night before tossing the idea. Putting this off wasn't going to make it any easier, it could possibly make it _worse_, and hadn't she decided earlier that she was done running? Beth squared her shoulders and entered her apartment.

Josh was cooking dinner and looked up as she entered. He gave her a warm smile of welcome. Beth's guilt tripled.

"How was work?" he asked as she dumped her stuff on the sofa.

"Uneventful, just wrote my follow up to the Donovan Sheppard story," Beth replied, mentally preparing herself.

Josh frowned. "How come you're so late then?"

"Oh, I had to stop somewhere on my way home," _can you be any more vague, Beth?_ "Actually, can we talk?"

"Is this a talk while I cook kind of talk or should I turn off the stove?" Josh asked, watching her carefully.

Beth let out a steadying breath. "You better turn off the stove."

Beth waited until Josh was sitting on the chair in front of her before speaking again. She could see the confusion and dread in his eyes. She'd never been fond of breaking people's hearts and to do so to someone she had been so close to was not easy.

"I think you've noticed how strained things have been between us lately," she began. That was and understatement, the only conversations they had had lately that didn't involve work had ended in arguments.

Josh nodded cautiously, bet let her continue.

"I think, I've_been_ thinking about it and I decided that maybe it's time for us to go our separate ways." She figured she better just lay it all out there.

She kept her eyes steady on Josh's. As much as it hurt to see the confusion and pain on his face he deserved to be looked in the eye.

"Look I know the past couple of weeks have been bad, but I'm sure we can work past it," Josh said hurriedly.

"Josh," her voice was gentle, "we've barely had a conversation outside of work in months."

This was hard. She wrapped her arms around herself, unconsciously caressing the scar on her forearm for comfort.

"Beth, please, just give it a little more time, it will get better I swear," he pleaded. "Look I know I've been a little irrational about the whole Mick St. John thing, but I do trust you Beth, and I'm sorry."

Josh was up and pacing now and he didn't notice the way Beth flinched at Mick's name. She had been hoping to keep him out of the conversation, all though logically she knew he would bring Mick up. Mick might have been at the heart of her decision to break it off with Josh, but it was better for all parties involved if Josh didn't know that. Losing your girlfriend because of distance growing between you was bad enough. Losing your girlfriend to someone else was worse. Worse in that the pain could turn to jealousy and jealousy in someone with Josh's connections could spell disaster for Mick and his secret.

Beth stood and placed a hand on his arm. "It's not about trust and it's not about time," she said firmly. "It's just, we need to move on. You're busy all the time and so am I and I think that it's best to end this now before things get worse. I want this to end while we are still on good terms." _and before I spend anymore time kissing Mick._

She could see the tears in his eyes and felt her heart brake for him. He shook his head violently.

"No, Beth, please just no." he said hoarsely.

She took a step forward. "Josh," she began but he backed away.

"I, I have to go," he mumbled.

He strode over to the table, grabbed his keys and briefcase, and slammed out the door. Beth sat down again when shaky legs refused to hold her up. She fumbled for her phone and dialed.

"Hey, Marissa, it's Beth. I could really use a friend right now," she said weakly into the phone.

* * *

Beth gave her friend a grateful smile as she accepted the glass of wine. Marissa sat down on the couch next to her and took a sip from her own glass. 

"Alright, tell me what happened." Marissa said.

Beth took a breath. "I," she paused. "I broke up with Josh."

Marissa blinked. "Wow, that's big."

Beth nodded. "Yeah," was all she said.

"I take it he didn't take it so well?" Marissa surmised.

"Not so much," Beth confirmed. "Not that I can really blame him."

"So, are you going to tell me what brought this on?" Marissa asked. "Was it this someone else you were thinking about earlier?"

Beth bit her lip. "Yes," she admitted.

Marissa leaned forward eagerly, setting her glass aside. "Hmmm, let's hear it. What's he like?"

Beth took another sip of her wine. "He's, well, it's complicated," she said lamely.

Marissa raised and eyebrow. "How complicated is complicated?" she asked.

_He's eighty-five and undead. _"Complicated," Beth replied.

"Uh huh, right," Marissa said skeptically. "What is he married or something?"

"No he's not married," Beth replied, shaking her head. _Not anymore anyway._

Marissa frowned. "So how come I haven't heard about him before, huh?" she asked. "I thought we agreed to check out each other's prospective boyfriends."

"I was still trying to figure that part out," Beth said.

Marissa rolled her eyes. "Swimming in denial again?"

"Pretty much," Beth agreed.

"So do I at least get to know his name?" Marissa crossed her arms. "You can't just leave me with 'Complicated.'"

Beth smiled. "His name is Mick St. John."

"Mick St. John?" Marissa repeated. "Isn't that the P.I. Josh mentioned? The one you've been working with so much lately?" she questioned.

"That would be him," Beth nodded.

"What's so complicated about that?" Marissa complained.

Beth sighed, she should have known that Marissa would turn this into the Spanish Inquisition. It had to been a reporter thing. "It just is, trust me Marissa," Beth replied.

"Fine, but you know I'm going to have to meet him right?"

Beth just made a noncommittal noise and took another drink of wine.

* * *

Four o'clock the next afternoon found Beth at a murder scene in an apartment complex only a few blocks from her own. Steve was trying to film as sneakily as his bulky camera equipment would allow and Beth was busy bullying answers out of Carl. It was an easy enough task. Beth found that people hated being misquoted, so when she did it deliberately they often let information slip when they tried to correct her. Carl was getting better at not slipping up but she still could catch him off guard every now and then. She hadn't talked to Mick since she had left his apartment the night before and she certainly hadn't heard from Josh. 

She and Marissa had polished off the almost full bottle of wine last night and Beth was absurdly proud of the fact that she'd managed to keep her lips shut about Mick. Beth was a very honest drunk so it could be viewed as quite the accomplishment. The two friends had drug themselves into work just after noon, nursing hangovers and Beth was reminded why getting drunk on wine was a bad, bad idea. She had contemplated calling Mick several times but for the first time she had no idea what she would say. "Hi Mick, I dumped Josh. Now what?" I didn't really sound good even in her head.

Maureen's timely assignment of the "suspicious death" her sources had alerted her to was a godsend. Idle time at her desk had been doing her no favors and there was nothing like a late afternoon homicide to chase away hangovers and confusing thoughts. From what she could gather it seemed like your run-of-the-mill domestic violence escalation: husband hits wife, wife finally has enough and lops off his head with a piece from his antique sword collection. Gruesome and unfortunate to be sure but comfortingly _human_.

Ever since learning Mick's secret it seemed that everywhere she turned, all her stories lead back to vampires somehow. It was oddly nice to know that some of the world's evil was still human. As comfortable as she was with Mick being a vampire she was still unsure of the whole idea of vampires in general. She was aware that most of the vampires that she would come into contact with would not share Mick's "moral code." While some people might be comforted by the ability to blame the bad things on childhood monsters, Beth was not. Learning Mick's secret had upended a lot of Beth's views on the world at large and finding vampires around every corner was making her edgy. A normal, human murder, as awful as it was, gave her something to right her upended her perspective. She's been dealing with these kind of stories for years and it was a relief to find something to write about where the word vampire would be omitted out of irrelevance rather than necessity.

She didn't like lying on every story, even if it was a lie of omission, but Mick had been protecting her for years, and while she may not have fuzzy feelings for vampires as a whole she would do anything in her power to protect Mick. He might have not realized it but the protectiveness in their relationship was a two way street.

"Beth?" Mick's warm, familiar voice startled her from her thoughts. He'd come up on her unseen again.

"You really need to stop doing that," she muttered crossly.

He smiled. "Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all.

Beth turned to look up at him and couldn't help the feeling of warmth that seeing him again gave to her. Of course that didn't explain why he was here.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Not that I mind you here or anything," she added when she realized how that sounded.

"The husband hired me a few months back to see if his wife was cheating on him," Mick replied.

"The dead guy hired you?" Beth asked.

Mick nodded. "She wasn't cheating, she was getting ready to move into a battered women's shelter."

Beth looked thoughtful. "He must have found out." She watched as the coroner wheeled the covered body out. "She was backed into a corner; she must have felt that she had no other choice."

"Yeah, I guess. I never told him about the shelter, just that she wasn't cheating on him," Mick replied.

Beth sighed, "It looks like I'm done here," she commented. The cops were sealing off the crime scene and both the accused and the deceased were gone.

Mick and Beth stared at each other, and awkward silence descending on them. Neither were sure what to do or say now.

"Well, this is awkward." Beth finally replied, fidgeting nervously with her shirtsleeve.

"Yeah," Mick agreed with a wry smile.

"So, I uh, I broke up with Josh," Beth said.

"He didn't take too well?" Mick asked gesturing for her to follow him to his car.

Beth shrugged, falling into step beside him. "I've been though worse break ups, it's just never fun breaking people's hearts."

Mick drew in a breath, "Beth if you're not sure…"

Beth rounded on him. "Don't you even _think_ about finishing that sentence, Mick St. John!" she warned him.

"Alright," he gave her a small smile, tucking a strand of her blond hair behind her ear.

Beth's stomach gave a flip at the contact, this whole going slow business was going to drive her crazy.

"How about I take you to dinner instead?" he offered with a smile.

Beth raised an eyebrow, "but you don't eat."

"No, but you do," he replied.

"Are you asking me on a date, Mr. St. John?" She teased as they reached his car.

Mick looked thoughtful. "I think that's the word they use these days," he grinned.

She pulled him down for a quick kiss, reveling in being able to do that. "Alright, you're driving," she said, sliding into the passenger seat.

Mick just shook his head, smiling as he walked around to the driver's side and got in.

* * *

Josh paced back and forth in his office, frustration etched on every feature of his face. His day had started off bad enough with having to wake to the heart-wrenching realization that Beth was really gone, not just a nightmare like he had hoped, but gone. Now he had to worry about a new drug that had hit the streets. After the Black Crystal fiasco, where he had failed to find the actual drug or bust the person responsible for it, Josh wasn't exactly his bosses' favorite person and this new drug, street named "Justice," was proving equally difficult to track down. From what he'd learned so far the drug seemed to amplify feelings of jealousy and betrayal causing the user to attack and often kill the object of their rage any anyone who gets in between them. So far Josh had been able to pass off all the cases as separate, random instances to the media but he knew it was only a matter of time before someone put it all together. 

That thought caused a brief spasm of pain. Beth would definitely have been able to put things together. It would have taken her only a hour to drag enough info out of him before she could add it all up but he'd barely spoken to her at all this week even before the break up. His mind quickly shied away from the memory and he forced himself to think on the problem at hand. Later he could go home and obsess over the loss of the woman he loved, for now he need to concentrate on work.

* * *

AN: well would you look at that! There actually seems to be a plot to this story…who would have thought? . 

Reviews will feed my muse….she's hungry…..


	4. Chance

Title: Stand by Me

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG-13 (for now)

Pairing: Mick/Beth

Spoilers: through 1x08, 12:04 AM

Summery: "It's an interesting feeling; not caring whether you live or die." Sequel to Through the Years and Watching Over You.

AN: I want to say that I am supremely sorry about the lateness of this update. I recently lost my mother and so christmastime was extremely hard and me and it took me a while to get back on track. I hope you except this update with my extreme apologies...

* * *

Ch: 4 Chance

"_How much of our lives our governed by chance? Is that missed bus just a statistic probability or part of a larger design that could some how shape your entire future? What is fate and what is coincidence? Every decision we will ever make will effect everything else in a ripple pattern spreading out and when you combine that with the situations that arise in life it can be impossible to predict exactly what can happen."_

It would turn out to be the date that wasn't meant to be. Sure dinner had started off well enough. Mick had taken her to a nice restaurant downtown and the warm-nervous feeling the first date produced was a feeling Beth fully intended to savor. Beth talked about work as they waited for their drinks to arrive and Mick listened intently in a way that Josh never had. It had all the makings of a great first date--and it was probably that thought that jinxed it. Although the sound of someone screaming "you whore" at the top of their lungs and the sound of gun shots were enough to put a damper on almost any situation.

Mick's reaction was instantaneous. Almost as soon as the first shot was fired, Beth found herself pinned to the ground by a very protective vampire determined to put himself between her and any bullets that may happen to fly her way. Beth on the other hand was trying to process how she gone from chatting with Mick across the table to underneath him on the floor.

Her sudden arrival on the floor had disoriented her and the screaming coming from every direction was doing nothing to help reorient her. While she had_seen_ some of the blindingly fast movements Mick could make this was the first time she had been the recipient of one and it seemed her brain, not to mention her stomach, need time to catch up with the rest of her.

"Beth," Mick whispered urgently, "are you alright?"

She blinked up at him. "What's going on?" She whispered back.

"There's a guy with a gun by the door. Shot a waiter and a woman at a table across the room. Both are wounded badly, but no one is dead." Mick replied.

"Can you get to the guy?" Beth asked, knowing Mick was calculating exactly that.

"If I can get around behind him," Mick replied, voice tense. "Beth, stay down."

She just nodded. Getting shot wasn't high on her list of thing to do today and she wasn't as bulletproof as her new boyfriend.

Mick gave her a hard look, eyes reaffirming his command for her to stay put, before shifting into a crouch. Beth could finally get a clear look at the shooter. He was in his early thirties with mousy brown hair and too-large gray eyes. He was waving an old-style revolver around and ranting about something that Beth couldn't make out over the screams and whimpers of the other patrons though she had a feeling that Mick could. The man paid no attention to Mick or anyone else, his wild eyes focused on the bleeding woman across the room.

Beth felt around for her cell phone and surreptitiously dialed 911 as she watched Mick carefully maneuver his way behind the shooter. By the time the ranting gunman realized Mick was there it was too late. In another of those impossible-to-follow movements of his, he had the man disarmed and pinned to the floor, both arms twisted up behind him.

Beth sat up and moved to the downed waiter who was closest to her and saw that a few other able-minded people had gone to check on the woman. The waiter had a gunshot wound through his lower left abdomen just above his hip. Beth quickly removed his apron and used to bunched up material to help put pressure on his wound as some half-forgotten first-aid class had instructed her.

"It's going to be alright, help is on the way." she said encouragingly, a fact the approaching sirens gave testament to.

The waiter stared up at her with glassy eyes--already slipping into shock. He didn't look any older then eighteen, Beth noted, just a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time. A surge of anger toward the man Mick held pinned to the floor gripped her. What made him think he had the right to do something like this? Beth shook the feeling aside and continued to try and talk to the waiter to keep him from slipping further into shock.

An EMT finally pulled Beth away and she stood back to allow the paramedics to work on the boy. She turned to find Mick handing the shooter over to the cops. She made her way over to him as he relayed the chain of events to Carl who was looking distinctly unhappy.

"Beth," Carl greeted her when Mick finished. "Did you see what happened too?"

"Not really. Mick tackled me to the floor pretty quickly," she replied, looking sidelong at Mick who, while not touching her, had assumed a rather protective stance.

Carl nodded shortly. "You'll both have to stick around and give formal witness statements," he said before moving off.

Beth turned to face Mick who was watching her with concern.

"You really need to rethink your idea of a first date," she informed him.

He flashed her a half-smile. "I'm out of practice," he replied blandly. "Does this mean I don't get a second one?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her.

"I'll think about it," she murmured into his chest. Adrenaline was quickly giving way to exhaustion and the headache from the morning was making a reappearance. She leaned into his embrace gratefully.

Mick chuckled. "I don't think this date could have possibly gone worse," he commented. "Or not," he reconsidered catching sight of who had just arrived. He dropped his arm from around Beth.

Beth looked up, confused for a moment at the sudden loss of comfort, before she spotted the arrival as well; Josh Lindsey.

_Next time we order in,_ she thought.

* * *

Josh was certain now that they were dealing with a serial killer. The drug had no street market, just rumors and the injection sights on all of the suspects apprehended lead him to believe that someone had injected them against their will. Someone out there was turning people into weapons and using them to kill. Josh had been at the latest crime scene when the call about another possible "Justice" related shooting at a restaurant came in. Josh headed over as soon as Lt. Davis confirmed it, his mood bleak.

Josh was already half-way into the restaurant when he noticed them; Beth and Mick St. John, standing closely together and watching him with confusion and caution respectively. Shock was his first reaction then fear when he saw the blood staining Beth's hands and shirt. Forgetting all professionalism and the fact that they were no longer dating, Josh hurried over.

"Beth! Are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

"Huh?" She looked down at herself in surprise as if she hadn't before realized her appearance. "Oh, it's not mine. it's the waiter's," she replied quickly.

Josh let out a relieved breath, confusion now replacing fear. "What are you doing here?" He asked. He doubted she'd be covered in blood if she was only here reporting.

"I was having dinner, or was supposed to anyway," she said, sounding uncomfortable.

"Dinner?" Josh repeated blankly. It was then that his brain finally equated Mick St. John standing closely, and protectively, next to his ex-girlfriend. She'd been having dinner, with Mick. Beth had been on a date with the PI. Josh couldn't even begin to process how that revelation made him feel. Josh hastily backed away, not trusting his words or his temper at the moment. He couldn't afford to deal with this right now, there was a killer on the loose that need his attention first.

Beth opened her mouth as if to say something to stop him but Josh shook his head, he didn't want to hear it. "Don't," he said, "just give your statements and go." He turned away and went to find Lt. Davis.

A third, unobserved, party watched the exchange with interest. It seemed that Deputy DA Lindsey was having some domestic troubles. Such a pity. Still troubles like that could be easily fixed, all that was needed was to give the DA a little nudge in the right direction. The observer smiled, just a little nudge….

* * *

"Do you mind if I use your shower?" Beth asked Mick as they entered his apartment.

Mick watched her worriedly, she hadn't said anything on the ride over and she wasn't quite meeting his eyes.

"Of course," he said. "Do you…"

"I remember where it is," she cut him off, blushing faintly.

"Beth," he tried again.

"I just need to get clean, Mick. I'm fine," she said heading upstairs.

But she still didn't look him in the eye. Mick watched her go helplessly. Was she regretting her decision now?

Beth stood under the hot spray feeling extremely guilty. She had never wanted to hurt Josh like that. While she knew she hadn't really done anything wrong she certainly hadn't wanted to rub her new relationship in Josh's face. She probably should have waited a bit after breaking up with Josh, _or done it the first time I kissed Mick,_ but she knew she couldn't. Mick was a vampire, as he so often reminded her, and she knew that put a sort of time limit on any relationship they would have. They both felt the countdown keenly and Beth, now that she'd finally been give the chance to try, hadn't wanted to waste whatever time they had.

In the back of her mind she realized that eventually she would have to make a decision on that score; to let the clock run out or stop it cold and neither choice would be easy on them. So despite her guilt over Josh, she knew she had done the right thing for her and sometimes that was the only choice you could make.

She stepped out of the shower clean of blood and feeling generally better then she had in months. Her jeans were still there but her bloodstained shirt had been replaced by one of Mick's over-large ones. She flushed slightly at the thought of him seeing her in the shower and even more at the memory of the _last_ time she's been in this shower, but there was more heat then embarrassment in the thought now.

She pulled on the clothes and toweled her hair dry as best as she could, making a mental note to bring over a hair dryer if she was going to be showering here occasionally. Hopefully more then occasionally.

She padded down the stairs as quietly as possible but Mick still turned to face her as she descended. He was troubled, his entire posture showed it. She crossed over to him quickly and stood on tip-toe to kiss him. He seemed startled, much like the first time. He pulled back.

"Beth," he began.

"If you say one word about it being too dangerous around you I will smack you,' she said conversationally.

He looked even more startled and unsure. "You--you're not having regrets?"

It was Beth's turn to look confused. "Regrets? Why would I have regrets? It wasn't your fault the restaurant got shot up." She grinned, "unless there's something you're not telling me?"

"I just thought, in the car--you know what? never mind." He shook his head smiling.

He pulled her close, running a hand through her still damp hair. "I'm just glad you're okay."

He was close and comfortable and his fingers in her hair felt wonderful. "I'm definitely okay," she murmured.

He chuckled again and tilted her head up for a kiss. The taste of copper was still there but it wasn't unpleasant in the least. It was gentler then the kiss in his parking the day before but no less intense. She nipped at his lip mischievously and was rewarded by his sharp intake of breath. Mick kissed his way down her neck and Beth threw her head back to give him full access. A tiny part of her wondered if he would bite her, and hoped he would, but he didn't. Instead he kissed his way back up her neck and nibbled at her earlobe, lightly sucking on it. Beth let out a muted whimper as heat pooled in the pit of her stomach. She slid her fingers up his chest to tangle in his dark hair, something she had wanted to do since she met him. He captured her lips again and lightly stroked her tongue with his. Beth drew it into her mouth, sucking gently on it, and startling a groan out of him. She decided she very much liked that sound. Curiously she nipped lightly at his neck and earned another groan.

"Beth," his voice was deep and breathy. She could hear the warning in it but she ignored it.

She sucked hard at the base of his neck. It was probably pretty juvenile but her was hers now damnit and she intended to let everyone know.

"Beth," the word was firmer now and he pulled back looking at her in amused reproach, eyes a few shades lighter then normal. "Slowly remember?"

She pouted, but looked at her mark smugly. "I'm notoriously un-fond of slow," she said.

Mick grinned. "I've noticed, but we need to be careful, I could too easily slip up and hurt you."

Beth wanted to protest that she knew he wouldn't do that but the truth was she still knew too little about vampires and exactly what control they did or didn't have over their natures. While she was fairly sure that Mick wouldn't hurt her badly no matter what, she knew that the smallest slip up could cause him to decide that this couldn't work and that wasn't a risk she was willing to take.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," she said, but nodded. "How about a drink then?"

"A drink it is," Mick agreed.

They both needed to cool down for a bit.

* * *

Across town Josh got out of his car, finally heading home. As much as he tried to put Beth out of his mind the sight of her with Mick at the restaurant consumed him. It was for that reason that he did not hear the soft footfalls behind him until it was too late. He felt a sharp prick in the back of his neck then the world grayed out.

* * *

AN: I noticed that the waiter's wounds are similar to Josh's...huh...i actually wrote that part before friday...oh well.

anyway a bit more on this plot that seems to have sprung up and a little more heat between our favorite couple ) not sure how I feel about that scene because I am in no way expreianced in writing those kinds of thing but I wanted to try...


	5. Fear

Title: Stand by Me

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG-13 (for now)

Pairing: Mick/Beth

Spoilers: through 1x08, 12:04 AM

Summery: "It's an interesting feeling; not caring whether you live or die." Sequel to Through the Years and Watching Over You.

AN: Holy Rocketship, Batman! an update!

* * *

Chapter 5: Fear

"_It's an interesting feeling; not caring whether you live or die. Death isn't something to be afraid of, there are no consequences to face in death. Life on the other hand does have consequences and maybe that's why humans are so reckless. They know it will end someday, that the consequences will stop. Life isn't something to fear then because the knowledge that it will end is always there. It is when death becomes so uncertain that one begins to fear life."_

The steady drip of water somewhere to her left was the only noise Beth heard as she slowly regain consciousness. She was in what looked to be some sort of empty warehouse. _Of course,_ Beth thought irritably, _the abandoned storage-space kidnapping cliché._ She twisted against the ropes that bound her as she tried to recall the chain of events that had lead to her being trussed up like some idiot in a second-rate horror film. She'd spent the night at Mick's she remembered that much…

Earlier:

The sunlight shinning in between the slats of the blinds woke Beth sometime after ten. It was her day off so Beth didn't open her eyes right away, intending to enjoy the luxury of waking up slowly. The blanket she had wrapped around her was unfamiliar but it didn't worry her; she remembered Mick covering her with it around two in the morning. That thought made her smile and at last open her eyes. She stretched as much as the couch would allow her as she blinked the last of the sleep from her eyes. Mick had apologized about not having a bed to offer her which of course had lead to a bombardment of questions as to where he _did_ sleep. A freezer, Beth had learned, not a coffin which of course made her wonder what vampires had done _before_ there were freezers. Mick had replied with underground cellars and that sort of thing, where it was cool and dark. That was probably what gave rise to the whole coffin and dirt thing in the first place.

Beth sat up and moved the blanket aside. She wanted to see Mick. Logically she knew he had probably just gone to bed, or freezer, but she needed to see him. Being told he slept in a freezer and seeing it were still two different things. She wasn't going to wake him but her reporter's curiosity was getting the better of her--she wanted to know everything about him; Mick the Man, Mick the Vampire, and Mick the Person.

Carefully she climbed the stairs, concentrating on not making any noise. Sleeping was probably the only time she'd be able to sneak up on him anyway. She gently opened the door and slipped into the room, shivering slightly as the sudden drop in temperature caused goose-bumps to appear on her arms. She tip toed across the tile to peer into the frosted glass lid of the freezer. Mick's eyes snapped open and Beth jumped back with a startled noise as he opened the lid. _One of these days I'm gonna get the drop on him, _ she vowed silently.

Mick sat up with an amused expression. "Beth, what are you doing?"

"How did you know I was there?" She asked, pouting slightly.

"Your heartbeat; I always know when you're close." Mick said smiling, but Beth could here the emotion behind it. It still startled her sometimes how much raw emotion carried over in Mick's voice when he let his defenses drop. She smiled.

It wasn't until he reached for a towel to cover himself that Beth realized that he'd been completely naked. She covered her blush with a sly comment

"So you sleep in the nude?" she asked archly.

Mick shot her an amused look. "Frozen clothes would be kind of uncomfortable don't you think?"

Beth just smirked. "Should I let you get back to sleep?" she asked, realizing she hadn't meant to wake him.

Mick shook his head, wrapping the towel around his waist and climbing out of the freezer. "I wasn't having much luck anyway."

Beth frowned, suddenly concerned. "Why not?"

Mick smiled and brushed his fingers across her face. "Your presence can be very distracting." he replied and bent down to kiss her.

"I'm distracting am I?" Beth murmured.

"Very," Mick confirmed, feathering kisses across her jaw, making Beth shiver enjoyably.

But as much as she would have loved to continue, cold tile on bare feet was not very hospitable, so she pulled back. "My feet are freezing," she explained.

Mick chuckled, a warm rich sound that she was sure she'd never tire of hearing. "Let's get them somewhere warmer then," he said as he guided her out of the room.

The rest of the morning passed in a feeling of domesticity that was startlingly comfortable. Mick had fixed her pancakes for breakfast--well Mick had_attempted_ to fix her pancakes for breakfast. Sixty years as a vampire and his human years as a bachelor didn't exactly lend itself to any sort of cooking prowess and Beth was secretly pleased to find something his vampiric abilities didn't automatically give him mastery of. After deciding to intervene before he hurt himself the two had found themselves in a childish war with the flour that left them giggling and covered from head to toe in the white dust. It had taken them a while to clean up afterward but Beth considered it worth it to bring out Mick's more playful side--not to mention having the memory of him looking more like a powdered donut then a vampire.

Of course in the typical Murphy's Law style of Beth's life her carefree day off was cut short due to Maureen's call of another restaurant shooting just a few block from last night's. With her car still parked where she had left it yesterday afternoon Mick drove. It turned out to be another jealousy shooting, another crime of passion, the police called it. It was too similar to the other for her peace of mind and Beth had learned very early on that if it seems related it probably is.

"I think something's going on." she said to Mick after she'd finished her news cast.

He quirked and eyebrow at her in question.

"The shootings. They're too similar." she clarified.

"Beth, it was two different people, two different situations. They may have happened close by and at similar locations but there were two different shooters." Mick pointed out.

"I know that but, a day apart? _Two blocks_ apart?" Beth insisted. "and what about Josh showing up last night? I mean I was still a little dazed to think beyond the fact that he was there and I felt guilty but don't you think it was a little strange?"

Mick frowned, she had a point. The DA's office wouldn't be concerned with an isolated homicide, especially if they had the shooter already in custody.

"It doesn't make any sense does it?" Beth asked.

"No, you might be right about this," Mick shook his head.

Beth smirked. "Might?"

Mick chuckled. "Probably then. Okay so if the two are connected, I mean besides proximity and similar MO, how are they connected?"

Beth bit her lip trying to pick our the connection that she _knew_ was there. "Let's see, both the shooters apparently attacked out of a jealous rage, they felt betrayed by the victim."

Mick nodded, "okay, what else?"

Beth opened her mouth to reply when something clicked in her brain. "Mick it's not just these two."

"What?" Mick asked.

"The crime scene yesterday, the one with the decapitated wife-beater."

"What about it?"

"You investigated her right? The wife?"

"Yes," Mick replied, not sure where Beth was going with this.

"She didn't have any history of violent tendencies did she?" Beth was pacing slightly now, her brain rapidly adding up bits and pieces into a whole picture.

"No, but people do very out-of-character things when backed into a corner, Beth."

"But she wasn't backed into a corner was she?" Beth pointed out. "She was planning on leaving him, not killing him."

"Beth, I'm still not seeing how this is adding up." Mick confessed, at a loss.

"That wasn't the first crime scene like that I've been too. In fact it's the fourth in as many weeks." Beth said.

"But jealousy wasn't a factor in the decapitation." Mick replied.

"That's because jealousy isn't the link. _Betrayal_ is the link--or at least assumed betrayal." Beth was really pacing now.

"Betrayal?" Mick repeated, unsure.

"Yes, she would have felt betrayed by a husband who was supposed to love her but hurt her instead." Beth explained rapidly. "same with the daughter who stabbed her mother last week. She'd been molested by her step father and the mother had done nothing to stop it. Again betrayal."

"Okay, Beth, but_how_? If someone is orchestrating or causing all this how and why are they doing it?" Mick asked.

"A cult? No that wouldn't make sense, the victims are too varied."

"A drug?" Mick hazarded, thinking hard. "Some drugs are known to accentuate certain emotions or sensations."

Beth frowned, "something like the Black Crystal thing again?"

"No that was for profit and nothing about this points to vampire involvement. It seems like an individual acting out a certain scenario, someone with a warped sense of retribution." Mick replied. "who ever it is probably was betrayed by someone close to them. That person was probably the first they killed, but it was in a fit of passion and I doubted they meant for it to go that far."

"Then why would the start killing, if they didn't mean to kill them in the first place?" Beth asked, confused.

"For exactly that reason. The person probably couldn't handle what they'd done and suffered a psychotic break. In trying to reconcile their guilt and what they had done they fell into the delusion that _had_ to do it. That betrayers must be punished." Mick explained.

"Do think they might be here now?" Beth asked quietly, turning to regard the crowd that gathered at the edges of the crime tape. "I mean they'd want to see their handiwork, right?"

Mick nodded soberly also scanning the faces of the crowd. "Possibly," he agreed.

Beth straightened, time to get to work. "Okay, you go see what you can dig up. I'll hitch a ride with Steve to my car and head to Buzzwire to do some research of my own. I'll meet you at your place at seven." Beth said decisively.

Mick couldn't help but smile at her take-charge attitude. "Still pushy," he teased.

She grinned. "You're getting use to it." She gave him a swift good-bye kiss.

"I wouldn't have you any other way." He replied.

She smirked and headed over to a slightly confused looking Steve.

"Hey I need a ride to my car, do you mind?" She asked when she reached him.

"Uh, sure no problem." Steve replied. "Beth, what happened to Josh?"

"Huh?" The questioned confused her for a moment and she was slightly startled to remember that it been barely two days ago that she'd broken up with Josh. It seemed like she and Mick had been together forever, and they had in way, she supposed. "Oh, we broke up." She replied.

Steve grinned. "Does this mean he'll confiscate more of my tapes?" He complained.

Beth smiled. "I hope not."

"At least this boyfriend had a better view of reporters," was Steve's only comment.

"And I'm fairly sure he wont take our tapes," Beth added.

Steve nodded. "So what's the story?" He'd worked with Beth long enough to know when she had her teeth in something big.

"Possible psychotic vigilante who uses drugs to get other people to kill," Beth replied.

Steve raised his eyebrows, "definitely not fluff," he remarked.

* * *

Steve dropped Beth off after her car with a promise to help with the research when she got to work. Beth waved and turned to dig her keys out of her purse.

"Beth," the unexpected sound caused her to jump.

She looked up see Josh standing next to her car. Where had he come from?

"Josh? What are you doing here?" Beth asked. Something wasn't right.

"Why Beth? Why him? How could you?" He didn't sound angry, more hurt and confused, but his eyes didn't seem to focus right and his hands were shaking.

"I really don't think this is the place to discuss this," she said. An empty street was definitely not the place to discuss this.

"Oh? Where is the place to discuss this, Beth?" Now anger was creeping into his tone.

"Not here," she said firmly.

Josh blinked, and odd expression came over his face. "No, not here, someplace quiet." He agreed, a strange lilt to his voice. Josh didn't sound like himself.

Beth took a hesitant step backward. Something was very wrong with him and she had a horrible suspicion that Josh had been drugged, just like the others.

"Let's go someplace quiet and talk," he said, voice cajoling.

"I can't right now, I have work." Beth said, stalling and mentally calculating her chances of escape with Josh between her and her car. She knew Josh was the faster runner if it came to that.

"Work?" Josh frowned. "Today's your day off, you don't have work."

"I got called in, Steve just dropped me off," she explained in what she hoped was a calm and convincing manner.

"You're not going to work. You're going to see him." Josh said angrily and he took a menacing step forward.

Faster runner or not, she had to make a break for it. She turned prepared to sprint as up the street…

…and that was the last thing she remembered.

Beth twisted as best as she could as she tried to take better stock of her surroundings. She seemed to be alone, but she was still tied to what appeared to be a rusty support pillar of some nature. Her purse was MIA which meant so was her cell phone so obviously no chance of somehow dialing for help with her toes. The thought was absurd of course but desperate times call for desperate measures. She was still dressed in her jeans and Mick's too-large button up shirt. One of the sleeves was ripped but Beth's mind was still blank as to how it had gotten so. She felt a little bubble of hysteria rise up at the thought before viciously quashing it.

"Okay, Beth, think. Time to figure out how to get out of this." she muttered to herself. "Everything is going to be fine. You were supposed to meet Mick at seven so even if Steve didn't sound the alarm when you failed to show Mick is definitely looking for you."

Was it after seven? How much time had passed since her memory went blank? That wasn't helping. She tested her bindings again--they were tight but not impossibly so and Mick's shirt had bunched upat her wrists creating more tension then there actually was. Bad, but not hopeless.

The clanging sound of a door somewhere behind her stilled her movements. Was it Mick? Josh? Or…someone else?

"Beth?" It was Josh, the same strange note still in his voice. "Are you ready to talk now? It's quiet here and we wont be interrupted." the words were slightly slurred but he sounded proud of himself.

How long did the drug last?

"Um, sure, we can talk," Beth said hesitantly, trying to see where he was. The longer she kept him talking the likelier rescue became. "What do you want to talk about?" she tried to sound as non-threatening as possible.

"Why?" he asked, coming around to stand in front of her. "Why did you do this to me?" He didn't sound like the confidant DA, he sounded like a lost child.

"Josh, I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you." she said softly.

Josh shook his head. "It doesn't matter, we can talk this all out now. He wont bother us." A pleased smile flickered across his face, and Beth felt her stomach turn.

"Oh?" she asked, trying not to sound panicked.

Josh looked pleased again. "He's been arrested," he said sounding smug despite the slurring that was becoming more pronounced. "For your kidnapping in fact, it was his word against mine."

Beth felt sick. Mick couldn't be in jail. Vampires don't do jail.

"Josh, this isn't you talking, someone drugged you." Beth pleaded with him, becoming desperate.

Josh paused. "Drugged?" He asked slowly, sounding more like himself for a second. "I'm working a drug case--or I was." He seemed to be fighting through the fog in his brain.

Beth nodded earnestly. "Yes, that's right you are. You must have gotten close and the person drugged you."

"Beth?" He asked, sounding uncertain but Josh. Beth felt a surge of hope; maybe the drug was wearing off.

"Yes. Josh you have to untie me. We can fix this." she said.

"Fix?" his eyes unfocused again. "That's right we have to talk." Josh was gone.

Beth choked back a sob of despair. Things had slipped back into hopeless and the Calvary was in just as much trouble as she was.

* * *

AN: one chapter left to go folks and I might even have it up tonight too. what? possibly_two_ updates in one night? shocking i know... well reviews would be apreciated despite my horrible updating irregularness. . 


	6. Momentary Thing

Title: Stand by Me

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG-13 (for now)

Pairing: Mick/Beth

Spoilers: through 1x08, 12:04 AM

Summery: "_It's an interesting feeling; not caring whether you live or die."_ Sequel to Through the Years and Watching Over You.

AN: and now for the finish!

* * *

Chapter 6: A Momentary Thing

"_Happiness is a momentary thing, there is no Happily Ever After. All that you can do is grab hold of what happiness is given to you and hope it will carry you through the pain ahead. The only comfort you have is that pain is a momentary thing as well. Good Things and Bad Things both have endings--and beginnings"_

Beth slumped in her bindings, defeated and succumbing to the numbing fear she had been fighting back. She was going to die here, just when she had finally found the one person she'd always loved--her Guardian Angel. She was going to die, leaving Mick to mourn and Josh to hate what he'd done when he finally returned to himself. She'd never really given much thought to dying before. Sure the thought had crossed her mind more than a few times since Mick reappeared in her life but with Mick it had always been more about living then dying.

Now it was about dying; she was going to die. Beth felt a strange sort of numbness to the idea, like she couldn't quite bring herself to care as she watch Josh pace and mutter with slurred words through listless eyes. There was no point now. Wasn't there? Some prickle of feeling penetrated the numbness. Was this really how she was ready to go out? So what if the Calvary wasn't riding in? Was she completely useless? Forget it, she wasn't going to give up that easily. She was going to be her own damn Calvary and maybe then she could ride in and save Mick for a change. So there! The thought caused a mental giggle…okay so maybe the hysteria wasn't completely gone.

Beth concentrated on trying to work her wrists loose. If she could get the sleeves out from under the ropes she might just be able too. She was dimly aware of Josh speaking but she focused on inching the fabric out as she painstakingly pulled up the sleeves. Her wrists cramped from the awkward position but she ignored it. Just a little bit further…there! Beth managed to wriggle out of the ropes and dodge to the right, knocking a surprised Josh to the floor. She made a B-line for where she assumed the door was only to run smack into a very unhappy vampire.

She would have fallen had Mick not reacted in that disconcertingly fast manner of his and pulled her tight against his chest.

"Beth?" he asked, nuzzling at her hair as if trying to make sure it was really her, the vampire obviously close to the surface.

She wanted to dance for joy or possibly break down and cry. Since neither option seemed feasible at the moment she settled for making a rather miffed sounding comment into Mick's shirt. "I was coming to save_you_."

Mick looked at her askance for a moment before turning his attention to Josh. The DA was sitting up and looking around in utter confusion.

"Mick? Beth? What am I doing here?" his voice sounded raspy but un-slurred.

Beth turned to look at him, a difficult endeavor seeing as Mick refused to let go of her.

"Josh, are you okay?" Beth asked, having settled for just turning her head. The drug _had_ been wearing off.

"I'm not sure? Why are we here?" He replied.

"What do you remember?" Mick asked not about to let Beth any closer until he was certain Josh was completely himself again.

Josh frowned, rubbing at his neck and rising unsteadily to his feet. "I was on my way home from the restaurant where…" he trailed off. "Nothing after that." His legs were shaky at best but his eyes were unclouded.

Mick started to reply then abruptly stiffened. "There's someone else here." He looked at Beth. "Stay here but keep and eye on him, we don't know if it's completely worn off or not yet." Mick ordered softly, releasing her and moving rapidly towards the exit.

Beth snorted and waited all of five seconds before following him. _Stay, yeah right, that wasn't happening._

"Let go of me!" a woman hissed as Mick pulled her from her hiding place outside the door and knocking a syringe from her hand.She was small and pixie-like with short, dark hair and dark frantic eyes. Her gaze landed on Beth and she hissed again. "You should be dead!"

Mick tightened his grip and shot Beth a disapproving look as she bent to pick up the syringe.

"I think we found our suspect." Mick remarked.

Beth nodded, feeling sort of light headed as the bubble of fear broke. Beth watched the woman struggling in Mick's grip with pity. She was very clearly insane, her eyes darting this way and that like a feral animal in a cage.

"We're going to get you some help," Beth said gently, as the wailing sirens announced the arrival of the police.

They quickly took charge of the situation as Beth patiently recounted the days events, leaning heavily against Mick. The adrenaline was gone and utter exhaustion was smoothly taking it's place. She watched as the cops placed the woman into a cruiser and talked to a horrified looking Josh. It seemed so staged and anti-climatic somehow as if she were only a distant observer to the whole situation.

"Can we go home now?" she asked tiredly. She was curious to hear his side of the story but decided it could wait until morning.

Mick carefully picked her up and carried her to the familiar green Mercedes.

"I'm never going to get to pick my car up," she complained as Mick belted her in.

"Close your eyes, Beth. You'll be home soon" Mick replied softly, brushing some of her tangled hair out of her face.

"kay," she obeyed with a yawn, "but you really have to get a bed because I'm not going to sleep on your couch forever."

"What?" Mick made a kind of strangled noise in the back of his throat.

Beth opened one eye to find him staring at her incredulously. "A bed," she repeated. "I can't very well sleep with you in your freezer now can I?"

"What about _your_ bed?" Mick asked very slowly.

"We could move that in I suppose," Beth agreed sleepily, closing her eyes and deciding the matter was settled.

Mick made another funny-sounding choking noise. "What happened to taking things slow?" he managed finally.

Beth shrugged, already more then half-way asleep. "I told you I'm notoriously un-fond of slow."

Mick let out a shaky breath. "We'll talk about it in the morning, Beth."

She nodded and drifted the rest of the way into sleep. Mick shook his head with a smile and started the car. Only Beth would make up her mind to move in with him while half-asleep after being kidnapped. Although Mick had to admit he wasn't exactly adverse to the idea, it would be a big adjustment to co-habiting with a human--especially one as strong-willed as Beth. He looked at the sleeping woman in his passenger seat, her blond hair in disarray and looking tiny curled into his shirt. Well he could adjust. It would be worth it to be with her.

She stirred as he tucked her into to couch, much like the first time before she had even known what he was.

"Mick?" she asked, reaching out for him in the dark.

"I'm here," he replied quietly. "Go back to sleep."

Beth settled back. "I love you," she murmured.

Mick placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I love you too, Beth" he whispered back.

"I'm gonna have to write you another card." she muttered.

"Just try to put the capitals in the right places this time."

"Shut up," she complained as she drifted back off.

Mick smiled, Beth really was one of a kind.

* * *

Beth woke once again on Mick's couch and smiled as the smell of coffee pulled her into full awareness. She opened her eyes and sat up.

"No pancakes this time?" she called out to Mick's back.

"Yeah, because that went well last time." Mick replied, turning.

Beth rubbed at her eyes. "What time is it?"

"A little past four in the afternoon. You slept most of the day." Mick said, bringing over the coffee.

Beth accepted it gratefully. "Think the past few days caught up with me all at once. So what happened? Josh said you got arrested."

"They didn't exactly have any evidence to hold me and your cameraman Steve swore to seeing Josh's car when he dropped you off. I called Josef as soon as I was out and Ryder got a fix on your cell phone." Mick answered. "The rest you know."

Beth nodded. "Remind me to thank Steve. What do you think will happen with Josh? I mean he was drugged it wasn't really his fault and I wasn't hurt."

"The police are likely to see it the same way. They have the real culprit to deal with anyway."

"Did you find out who she is?" Beth asked, mentally lining up her story.

"Caroline Dervish, thirty-five years old. Works as a chemist for some large pharmaceutical company. Her husband left her for her assistant." Mick replied.

Beth shot him a questioning look.

"Lt. Davis called while you were asleep." He explained.

Beth smiled, sipping at her coffee. "I was worried you really were omnipotent there for a moment."

Mick laughed, " alas no." He sobered slightly. "Beth, about what you said last night..."

"Do you want me to move in?" she asked calmly.

"So you do remember?"

"Mostly," she replied. "I was exhausted and slightly hysterical when I said it but I like the idea."

He smiled. "So do I, but, it will be an adjustment for both of us."

"All relationships are." Beth pointed out sagely. "And as for the human-vampire thing we'll just deal with it as it comes."

Mick nodded and sat down close to her, letting Beth curl into his chest. "One thing at a time he agreed."

Beth grinned evilly. "Besides I have much better odds of ambushing you naked if I live here."

"On second thought--keep your apartment."

"Forget it! You're stuck with me Mister."

"_If there is one thing I've learned through this is that nothing is ever certain, there is always the chance at happiness. No matter what the ticking clock on our relationship has in store for the future, I've resolved to be happy now and hold fast to the faith that love can see us through it all. After all isn't that the what love is all about? Finding someone to stand by you through all those Momentary Things, Good and Bad alike?"_

* * *

AN: and there be the end! wow look at that would you I actually finished something...hmmmm wonder of wonders. I have an new Moonlight story already sketched out too. I want to write a Turned Beth story next so watch for that...

Please review as always, let me know you still love me dispite my upredictable updates...


End file.
